


512.

by the-canary (siruru)



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Angst with a Happy Ending, Denial of Feelings, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Flashbacks, Friends to Lovers, Injury Recovery, Miscommunication, Mutual Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Reader-Insert, Rejection, Romantic Fluff, Secret Crush, Strangers to Lovers, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-08
Updated: 2018-08-08
Packaged: 2019-06-24 01:42:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15619704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siruru/pseuds/the-canary
Summary: In which a little cat moves into your apartment and your cute neighbor realizes somethings along the way.





	512.

**Author's Note:**

> This is for @after-avenging-hours ‘s AU Challenge. oh goodness, welcome to my longest oneshot at 4.5k. i really don’t know how to feel about this whole thing, but it’s domestic and cute and i hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Prompt: Next Door Neighbor 
> 
> Feedback is always welcomed.

This story starts off with a cat. Well not really, but it’s a good place to start on how exactly you finally (sort of) confessed your feelings to your next door neighbor -- that cute medic from apartment 512, Bucky Barnes. 

It is a bright and sunny Saturday afternoon coming from the laundromat with smaller than usual load due to being sick (you swore you had a weak immune system) earlier in the week. While, you did enjoy the idleness of the chore, you didn’t enjoy the trouble that came with hauling your bag up to the fifth floor of the your apartment building, especially during the summer months. After nearly 20 minutes, you heave the large gym bag in front of your door. You’re digging for your keys when you hear the door down the hall open, some chatter and a light giggle echoes, as you hurry. 

“Bye James,” the women in a flowing red dress coos one last time before walking down the stairs. You don’t look up, but you can feel a certain pair of eyes on you for the moment, as his voice soon makes your freeze.

“Good morning, neighbor,” he says it in that sing-song way he has been doing so since you first moved in. It eases you for a moment, as you turn to give him a hesitant smile. Bucky Barnes is a beautiful mess with bed hair all over the place wearing an old t-shirt and sweatpants. Blue eyes glimmering, though you don’t want to know why.

“It’s actually 3pm,” you remark as he laughs, shaking his head. You drop your hand from holding the doorknob for a moment, “It seems like you started your weekend well.”

“A little,” he says, though a bit more awkwardly than before, “Probably gonna need to burn the sheets later.”  

“Well, the wash is just down the street and you are Manny’s fav,” you say, remembering when both you and James had been at the laundromat late one night, just for you to see how much the older woman doted on him. You open the front door and end any conversation moving forward.

“Have a good day, Bucky,” you say before going inside the comfort of your apartment. He nods, but at the sound of your door echoing but he can’t help but curse to himself feeling that he had lost all over again, before shutting his own door. 

You, on the other hand, lean back into the wall, dropping your bag, before taking a deep breathe. 

“Well, there go my chances, huh?” you sigh, ready to head to your room and pass out -- no longer caring about the wrinkle quality of your clothing. However, that’s when you hear it, a small noise coming near your windowsill close to the fire escape. 

_ Meow! Meow!  _

You rush towards the other side of the room, nearly crashing into the window only to see a small gray thing near your potted plants. Bleary eyes look up at you, as you can see scars and signs of obvious malnutrition on its body, though you know it had to be a fighter if it was all the way up to where you lived.    

“ _ Shit _ ,” you curse out and head pull your phone out of your pants’ pocket as quickly as possible, dialing up the only friend you knew could deal with this sort of problem.

* * *

 

_ Meow! Meow!  _

It took Bruce two days of intensive care to cure most the ailments that the kitten was having and another night at the vet for him to be signed with a clean bill of health. However, like any stray, once he was all right --since you were paying the bills for his care-- he was going to get sent to the nearest shelter. And while, he didn’t enjoy having Bruce or any of the other nurses touching him, the gray kitten seem to have a growing fondness for you whenever you came to visit him in those 3 days. When it was time for him to check out, those bright blues of his tugged at your heart,  though you would never say out loud why.

_ “So now that most of the paperwork is filled out,” Bruce says, as you play with the nameless stray by moving a pompom on a string, “What are you gonna name him?” _

_ “His name will be Inigo Montoya,” you laugh, watching the newly dubbed Inigo swat the decoration around as Bruce laughs. _

_ “Been watching your favorite movie again, I see.”  _

However, taking care of a pet --especially a cat-- isn’t as easy as you thought it would be since Inigo needed a little chain and chip to announce that he was yours, even though he didn’t like wearing it. He still needed certain injections, not to mention food and toys to play with and you weren't sure if he should go outside anymore, though he kept sitting by the widow where you found him everyday since you had brought him home -- hell, you had even had to talk to your landlord about it and she hadn’t been too happy, though she let you keep him in the end.

_ Meow! Meow! _

Here’s the thing though, Inigo hates to be alone for too long, as you hear meowing coming from your apartment, at the top of the stairs after returning from the nearby pet shop and getting everything you could for the little guy. At the same time, James is coming out of his own apartment, dressed in his paramedic outfit, probably ready to start his shift.     

“Finally becoming that crazy lady, huh?” he teases, while walking towards you with a jovial grin and you can’t help but feel a bit self-conscious about the comment, clutching the plastic bag a bit tighter than before. You didn’t mind being alone, especially since your job put you on call most of the time but sometimes it did sneak into your thoughts like a snake -- maybe, that’s why you got the little guy. 

The thought would pass, but Bucky implying it so loudly and in such a manner caused a dull ache in your heart. Maybe, because there was no chance in hell that he would see in you any other way besides his crazy cat neighbor. You take a shaky breath and try your hardest to laugh just a little.

“Yeah, I guess I am,” is all you say before closing the door, the tight feeling his words had caused you causing your voice to shake for a moment. The sound echoes more than usual and Bucky can’t help but feel that he did something wrong.

* * *

 

One thing you were fond of doing since you had moved in (and when you had a free day from work and other real life obligations) was simply opening the widow that faced the busy New York neighborhood that you lived on and take in the sights and sounds, though you now found yourself watching Inigo sleeping or playing with some of the potted plants you kept. It eased your heart about a lot of things -- who knew a cat could be so therapeutic?

“Ya know, I used to hate James once,” you declare while staring at the now larger kitten lounging, a simple melody playing in the background of your apartment, as you relax on a Sunday for once, “Always had loud music going, girls coming in at all hours. I could barely sleep sometimes.”

“But, then I fell on the stairs,” you go down memory lane, while petting Inigo’s head softly, “He was really sweet, ya know?” 

_ It all comes and goes too quickly, as a young woman rushes down the stairs cursing as you are coming up, carrying a heavy box from work. She crashes into you, but does nothing as you trip and hit the old stairs with a thud, though you are quick enough to save the box and its precious cargo. You try to get up, only to curse when trying to move your leg.  _

_ “Shit, shit, shit,” you hear someone else cursing, as you turn to see James running down the stairs. He stops and slowly moves you into an awkward sitting position against the railing, as you hiss out gently when he tries to move your right leg.“ _

_ “What happened?” he asks, as you huff out a little breath while trying not to break down from the pain and confusion of everything that had just happened. You feel a hand on yours, “Calm down. Take your time, doll.” _

_ “Some chick just came running down, pushed her way through and I fell,” you voice breaks near the end, “Didn’t even stop.”  _

_ “It must’va been… You know what doesn’t matter,” James explains before looking at you straight in the eyes as he pushes a hand through his hair, “I’m gonna pick ya up and take you to my apartment. I’ll check your leg out better there.  _

_ You frown and he can tell you’re about to protest, so he tries to give you some reassurance, “I’m a medic. I know what ‘m doing.”  _

_ He preps you before putting an arm around your back and another behind your knees, picking you up with ease as you encircle your arms around his neck. You’re silent the entire way up as you look down to hide your face from any embarrassment you might feel by staring directly at him.    _

_ “I’m sorry about all this, doll,” he says as you two reach the the top of your shared floor, “I got into an argument with a date, it must ‘ve been her who pushed ya.”  _

_ You don’t say anything, ready to pass out from the pain as James somehow manages to open the door to his apartment.  _

_ “Don’t worry, I make it up to ya.”  _

_ You nod and through the next couple of days James --or Bucky as he insists on you calling him-- is there to help you in any way he can, especially when he realizes that you’re all alone in the Big Apple.  You guys share meals together, he helps with anything you can’t do on your own as your ankle heals. He does everything with a laugh and sparkle in his blue eyes, and as you get to know him better you can’t stop the small putter and stop your heart makes.  _

_ “Thanks for everything, Bucky,” you smile ready to close the door this chapter of your life, as he had seen your cast free while waiting near your front door. You’re ready to ask him to celebrate when you stop. His smile is there, but there is nothing shining in his blue eyes, “You were a great help these past couple of weeks.” _

_ “Just trying to make amends, is all,” he says with a shrug, and  it’s then when your smile drops as you simply nod. You push through and open the door to your apartment and with a small goodbye -- you leave Bucky Barnes hanging.  _

_ You knew that everything James had done was out of a sense of guilt towards an accident that shouldn’t have happened. The way he helped you, the way he stayed and made you laugh, even the way he joked and shared parts of him when you talked -- it was all an act, and as much as your brain told you so, that stupid little heart of yours was a different story altogether. By the time your ankle had healed, he was probably ready moved on with his life, missing everything in his normal routine to help some chick he barely knew. However, even with all that,  you couldn’t hate Bucky anymore -- it was quite the opposite to be exact.  _

“But, I’m just a crazy cat lady, huh,” you murmur sadly, as Inigo stretches before walking back into the apartment. You shake your head before slipping back in, completely unaware that your declaration could be heard through a certain set of rattling pipes, as plates shatter on the wooden floor of apartment 512. 

* * *

Bucky tries his hardest not to think about the declaration that he managed to hear a couple of weeks ago, but it's the only thing --outside of work-- that’s ringing in his head. It doesn’t help that a certain animal had made it their mission to sit on Bucky’s window and make his presence be know when they are both there. The sight of the gray cat isn’t unwelcomed, but it does keep bringing up a time for Bucky where his nerves got the best of him and he ended up running with his tail between his legs. The rain and a soaked cat don’t make his life any easier, as he is tired from his most recent work shift and another failed date -- Bucky isn’t sure what’s wrong with him as of recently when it comes to his usual playing field, or rather he chooses to ignore it.   

“Hey hey, I think your owner is next door, cat,” Bucky declares at the gray feline coming and sitting on the small couch Bucky has underneath the window, completely ignoring what he had just said. Blue eyes turn to glance at the fire escape a few meters away from his window only to notice that it is shut and there is no light coming from it like he is used to seeing some evenings.   

“She isn’t home yet, huh?” he murmurs, before looking at the puffy cat, “Well, I guess it’s just you and me then.” 

Bucky ends grabbing a small towel and rubbing the cat, much to its annoyance but aside from that he really didn’t know what else to give it since he didn’t want to mess up whatever diet you had it on. Eventually, Bucky just ends up sitting and mindless watching TV in the living room, occasionally glancing over at the gray cat that was prancing all over the place, though eventually it ended up laying down next to Bucky, who didn’t try petting the cat but looked at the silver metal hanging from its neck.  

_ Meow!  _

“Inigo, huh?” he remarks, as blue eyes look up to look at his own, “You seriously look more like a  **Jäger** .” 

Bucky lets the metal piece go, as Inigo scatters into some darker part of his apartment. He tries his hardest not to think of back then, like he did when he was alone but ends up failing miserably. 

_ It’s a week later after she is off of her ankle bracelet and since they had last talk. It took Bucky one disastrous date to figure out, it isn’t the same as sharing his day and late dinner banter with her. It’s only been a week and his heart is aching, a void that’s he’s never felt before but he knows that she’s the only that can fix it. He’s opens the door slightly at the sound of someone coming up, but when he hears two footsteps instead of one he freezes. A loud laugh --one that he has heard a hundred times before-- echoes in the hallway just a smudge, as he sees her with a slightly taller dark-haired man who is wearing glasses.  _

_ “Thank you for tonight, Bruce,” she laughs and Bucky doesn’t want to see anything else as he closes the door from its slightly ajar position and unknowingly his heart as well.   _

Bucky groans at the memory, not knowing how much time had passed until he hears the same squeaky steps through the paper-thin walls. He gets up and motions the cat to follow him, which it doesn’t, only to notice on his phone that it’s past 11pm. Did your work really keep you that late or were you out? Though it wasn’t any of his business, he couldn’t help but be bothered by the thought. He opens his front door widely, ready for anything, as he sees you soaked in a business suit. He frowns at the sight. 

“I think you’re missing a little critter, doll,” his voice causes you to jump a bit, as you turn to see Inigo standing not too far behind James. He meows, as you can’t help but smile though that is quickly forgotten as your neighbor shakes his head. 

“Damn, I’m so sorry, James,” you run a hand through your hair, remembering everything that went wrong at your business dinner a few hours ago. You were lucky to still have your job, but too exhausted to deal with anything else,  “Everything just ran longer than I thought it would.” 

“No problem at all,” is all he says with a crooked smile, as relief (and something else) rushes through your chest as Inigo makes his way over to you. 

“Thank you,” is all you manage to say, “You’re a lifesaver.”

You pick up Inigo which doesn’t let you notice the sudden blush on Bucky’s face at the sudden use of such a title from you -- though he isn’t too sure if you mean it or if it’s just the exhaustion talking. However, that quickly subsides at the sight of a sleepy you struggling with the annoyed gray cat within your grasp, as you give him one last tired smile before heading into your apartment. However, his voice runs away from him before he can process anything else. 

“If you need help taking care of him, just let me know,” you stop moving your keys as your wide eyes meet his. He can’t help but grin at the reaction he got out of you since you were too calm sometimes and usually hard to read, but it doesn’t help that his heart skips a beat at the sight of your softening smile.

“Thanks Bucky, I’ll think about it,” is all you say before finally heading inside and all Bucky can do is lean on his door frame for a good while with a goofy smile on his face.

* * *

 

You end up getting sick (again) with a fever for a week and as much as you know Inigo loves you, he can’t stand the air machine you are using most of the time, as you live off refrigerated meals and questionable medicine that you found behind your cupboards. It’s midweek of the 2nd week (your work had been emailing everything you need as long as you didn’t come into the office) when between having the cat entering his apartment and not seeing you as often as he usually does, Bucky decides to finally knocks on your door -- only to see your disheveled appearance and covered with a large blanket.   

“Doll, you look awful,” he laughs, as you glare at him before turning away to sneeze, “Have you been taking medicine?” 

You nod and let him in, not being able to say much without a croak at the end of each sentence, and point to the cough syrup and water next to you. Bucky also takes quick notice that there isn’t anything to eat besides an old microwave dinner sitting unattended on the coffee table. He shakes his head, as Inigo meows in annoyance as if to be agreeing with him. 

“Yeah, you’re not getting any better this way,” he declares, mother hen mood kicking in, “I’m gonna get ya some real food and medicine, okay?” 

You frown, but really can’t say anything to stop him from leaving as you sit helplessly on the couch before falling asleep. You wake up around half an hour later to James setting plates and some Chinese soup on the table. You eat in relative ease, as the silence is only broken with Bucky telling you about his day or Inigo fighting with him over some fish bits.  And maybe, it’s your exhausted and sick-addled brain that allows this thought, but you wouldn’t mind this being a permanent thing. 

Bucky comes over for the rest of the week, in the mornings making sure that you have some breakfast and later in the evening with dinner and more medicine. You swear that it doesn’t mean anything, but you can’t help the way your heart skips at the sight of him enjoying himself in your little apartment, the way he jokes and tells you about his day even when he’s stressed and tired, and even when he calls Inigo “ **Jäger** ” instead. 

“I brought movies!” James declares as he opens the door, Inigo meowing at his entrance as you turn from watching television. Dinner for tonight had been ordered and you had been waiting with some hope that he would come over again, though you knew he always had weekend plans -- you could hear them from the wall sometimes. 

“That’s great,” you smile, as he comes over to your small living room to get dinner and prep for the marathon, “But, don’t you usually go out?” 

“My patient is still sick,” Bucky explains before taking a bite out of his noodles, “Gotta keep watch over her.” 

You shake your head as he laughs, “So, what movies did you bring your patient then?” 

The rest of the night is watching cheesy rom-coms and actions flicks with you and Bucky cuddled on the couch, until the food and medicine start to kick in. In your drowsy state, you don’t notice how much closer you get to Bucky as you let out a steady breath while placing yourself underneath his neck as you faintly feel an arm snake around you waist. Inigo’s meow and Bucky’s laugh are mixed together as you close your eyes.    

“Goodnight, my sweet cat lady,” he can’t help but murmur softly as he gives you a kiss on the forehead, and while you are still too weak to react, you can’t help your heart beating faster for a moment at what  James might have heard so long ago or that he has realized what you really feel for him.

* * *

 

Thanks to James you do get better, but in-between catching up with work, showing Bruce that you are alive and well, taking care of Inigo so he doesn't bother Bucky while you’re away, and an upcoming business trip you don't have time to see him again, and maybe it’s for the better -- it will be like the first time as he goes back to being nothing but that annoying neighbor once more and you try to repair your heart all over again. However, this time it’s different because Bucky is standing right in front of your door with a bag and an excited smile on his face. 

“James?” you question as his grin gets bigger, blue eyes sparkling like you’re the only thing in the world -- like he missed you from the bottom of his heart, and that confused the hell out of you, “What are you doing?”  

“I just wanted to see how you were doing,” he says innocently enough, but in that way it just seems like the last time which just breaks your heart, as you wave a hand trying to dismiss him. 

“I’m fine, just little tired,” you say taking your keys out of your work bag, trying to get out of the hallway as fast as possible, “Don’t worry about it anymore.” 

You don’t say anything else, as you push your key and are ready to turn it as Bucky’s confused voice causes you to pause, unsure of why he is doing this now. 

“Doll, please talk to me,” he pleas softly, unsure of where he went wrong between the time you slept in his arms so peacefully and the time he hasn’t see you. The void had only been growing larger since then and he didn’t know what to do, “Why have you been so distant? I thought…”

“You thought wrong,” you say as coldly as you can, but your voice trembles near the end, only for him to grow more determined than before because he knows it has to mean something, and he wasn’t going to let you slip away this time. 

“But, I heard you...talking to--” he finally says the thing you have been fearing the most, as you panic and try your hardest to open the door without fumbling. However, he puts his arm in front of the door, leading to the brick house of a man to be standing between you and your apartment. Inigo watching from his place on the kitchen stool.

“James, please don’t,” you let out helplessly, as you look at the floor -- anything but him, “Can’t we just ignore what you  _ might  _ have heard?”

“That’s the thing, doll. I can’t forget it,” he says softly back, his eyes full of adoration if only you had the guts to see, “It’s been haunting me since then.” 

“Why now?” you groan into your hands, before finally looking him searching for answers as he smile in relief, “What changed?” 

“Nothing changed, sweetheart. I’ve liked you since the ankle incident,” his smile turns sweet as it seems overjoyed to finally let that huge secret off his chest, if you would just accept his feelings, “The thing is I stopped being coward.” 

“ _ What?” _

“I was gonna tell ya a while back, but I saw you with ‘nother guy,” he lets out in frustration, while running a hand through his hair in agitation of the memory, “Black hair, glasses, and you were smiling like ‘ve never seen before, at least not with me. I got scared and ran.” 

“You saw me with Bruce?” you sigh out, not able to believe what is happening, “My worrisome  _ best friend _ . The guy who has a temper if I don’t take care of myself properly and probably took me home because if not he couldn’t sleep at night.” 

“I’m such an idiot,” he murmurs in sudden realization.  

“You could’ve asked me,” you let out a small laugh full of weariness and joy at everything being settled, of knowing that you two are just a pair of idiots, though unsure of what happens next, “Well, what do we do now that’s everything out in the open?” 

“Would you consider going on a date with me?” he asks softly, getting closer to you until you can’t see anything but him with his free hand cupping your cheek.

“I wouldn’t mind at all,” you smile, as Bucky leans in a bit more biting his bottom lip from a moment. Your eyes flutter shut in anticipation, as you feel his breathe on your lips and he’s only a few centimeters away from making your dream come true.

_ Meow! Meow!  _

You and Bucky groan at the same time turning around to see the gray cat demanding whatever Bucky might have in the bag for him. However, you can’t help but smile as you reach for Bucky’s hand, while he gives you a huge grin. The two of you go inside of your apartment ready to have a quiet  night in after such an emotional declaration with a promise of a date in the works and with both of you fools thanking a certain mischievous feline with two names now, for finally bringing the two of you together.


End file.
